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“The Life and Times in Victorian London”

Baker Street Elementary& The Victorian Web

The Life and Times in Victorian London# 073 – Victorian Dresses & What is Underneath -- 09/15/2018

Copyright 2018, Fay, Mason, M

ason

Welcome to topic number 73… Victorian Dresses… Thanks so much to AboutBritain.com for use of their summary text for this lesson…

Lyndsay, Victorian dress are traditionally very elegant and lavishly trimmed with all manner of lace frills,

braid, fringes and full gathers.

Full skirts are supported on a rigid frame called a crinoline and later bustles at the rear will be the height of Victorian fashion for well-to-do ladies.

You’re right, Irene, however, prudishness still governs the covering of a lady’s arms and legs right down to the ankle.

Beneath the full skirts, which themselves may have at least three yards of fabric, are numerous petticoats and layers of undergarments.

By contrast, bodices are worn tightly fitted.

Laced corsets, like straight-jackets, are used to give women a narrow waist and shapely body…

… contoured further by the addition of

whalebones and steel inserted into the bodice.

No wonder Victorian ladies are prone to fainting,

either from the heat of so many layers, or from the

inability to breathe!

Victorian dresses are finished with several layers of under

sleeves beneath the wide dress sleeves of the 1850s and trimmed

with fine lace or other detail.

An additional collar finishes the dress.

Everything is handmade for the wearer by a

tailoress or dressmaker.

To complete the outfit when venturing outdoors, Victorian

dresses are topped with pelerines, which are short capes or sleeveless

jackets, often made of fur.

They are finished with long pointed ends at the front.

In summer, ladies carry a fan or parasol and hats and gloves are

always worn.

In winter, fur muffs keep hands warm and pretty silk summer bonnets

are replaced with felt hats.

Hats are generally trimmed with yards of ribbon and artificial flowers are used

for decoration.

A Victorian lady always carries a purse or reticule.

They are usually made of beads stitched onto knitted fabric in pretty designs.

The top is either a drawstring or a metal clasp.

From 1865, Victorian dresses are influenced by French fashion.

For afternoon visits to lady friends of similar social standing, three piece silk outfits are popular.

The bodice is slightly less tight and a cape across the shoulders is in matching silk braid with a fringe or tassels

for attractive movement.

These fancier dresses often have a wide ribbon belt to match

from which long decorative panels fall down at the back.

They are decoratively trimmed with ruched silk ribbon, silk braid and

matching tassels or a fringe.

Instead of a full hooped skirt, later designs of Victorian dresses will have most of the gathers and fullness at the back of the skirt, in what will be known as a bustle.

Often these fine afternoon dresses will have a small

train at the back which will be most impractical to wear

in the dirty streets.

In winter, beneath their full skirts ladies wear full length

woolen petticoats.

They have a drawstring waistband and a button at the back.

Around the hem, embroidery finishes the undergarment.

Queen Victoria is known to have her monogram embroidered

around the hemline along with thistles, roses and shamrocks.

Thick silk stockings complete the

undergarments of Victorian dresses.

Thank you so much !

… and Lyndsay, may I say you look fetching in your dress and bustle.

Yes, but we’ll be back with another topic

soon…

Again, thanks to AboutBritain.com for their help… So we have completed topic 73 in

our series…

Original Source Material for this topic:

1) http://www.aboutbritain.com/articles/victorian-dresses.asp

Baker Street Elementary“The Life and Times in Victorian London”

IS CREATED THROUGH THE INGENUITY & HARD WORK OF:

JOE FAYLIESE SHERWOOD-FABRE

GEORGE P. LANDOWRUSTY MASON &

STEVE MASON

WE ARE EXTREMELY THANKFUL TO LIESE AND GEORGE FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF THIS PROJECT…